An Exercise in Flavor

At Manhattan's luxe Reebok Sports Club/NY, you can work out on a simulated downhill skiing machine and listen to piped-in underwater music while you do your laps. And then you can reward yourself with the best food you'll ever eat in a gym, at The Grill, the club's restaurant, managed by Drew Nieporent. At the helm is Jim Ackard, a Wolfgang Puck alumnus who describes his food as "high energy-low fat." He's a great believer in eating fruits and vegetables, but he's not averse to a few indulgences-- "after all, what's life without an occasional piece of cake?"

This post-workout meal starts with a garlic-packed Caesar salad that doesn't skimp on croutons or Parmesan but delivers less than 6 grams of fat per serving. For the main course, Ackard serves meaty tuna steaks, lightly coated with powdered porcini and topped with a tangy basil yogurt sauce. His secret for both the salad and the basil sauce is blanched garlic cloves: blanching mellows the flavor and softens the cloves so that they thicken whatever dressing or sauce they become part of. And for a dessert to start the summer, there's a refreshing watermelon granita. Even if you don't belong to the Reebok Sports Club, these recipes give you one of the perks of membership.